New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, TVAS
PREDICTION: Rangers 5, Flyers 2

Oddsmakers currently have the Flyers listed as 120-moneyline favorites versus the Rangers, while the game’s total is sitting at 5½.

PHILADELPHIA — While the backsliding Philadelphia Flyers are starting to feel pressure from the non-playoff teams of the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers enter Wednesday’s rivalry night showdown coming off a disappointing loss to the struggling Buffalo Sabres.

“I haven’t said this very often about this group since I have been here,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault told reporters after Tuesday night’s 4-1 loss to the Sabres at Madison Square Garden, “but this was a very bad game, where we got outworked badly. We are going to have to respond here.”

The Flyers (20-14-5) are coming off an 0-2-1 road trip to St. Louis, San Jose and Anaheim and have gone 1-4-2 since their 10-game win streak ended last month.

“This wasn’t our best road trip,” Flyers right winger Wayne Simmonds told Phillynews.com. “The games in St. Louis and San Jose, we thought we needed to compete harder and battle more. We did that (in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout loss in Anaheim).

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results, but sometimes it’s not that you change the page overnight and get the results you want. You have to keep working at it.”

The Flyers played well against the Ducks, tying a franchise record with 55 shots in a road game.

“We know we’ve been in a little bit of a lull, but if we keep playing like we did (Sunday), we’ll be successful,” defenseman Michael Del Zotto said.

The Flyers activated backup goaltender Michael Neuvirth (knee sprain) on Tuesday and sent callup Anthony Stolarz back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Stolarz appeared in four games and had a 1.79 GAA and a .938 save percentage.

Steve Mason (14-12-5) has started 21 of the last 23 games for the Flyers and is expected to get the call on Wednesday.

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist allowed four goals on 19 shots in the loss to the Sabres and could sit the second end of the back-to-backs in favor of Antti Raanta.

Vigneault might also opt to sit out defenseman Kevin Klein, whose turnover led to Justin Bailey’s first NHL goal early in the second period.

If Klein is a healthy scratch, look for Adam Clendening to take his place.

Derek Stepan said the Rangers (26-13-1) need to turn the page quickly from one of their most lopsided losses of an otherwise impressive season.

“I wish I would had an answer,” Stepan said when asked about what was ailing the Rangers. “Whoever figures that one out is going to be a very rich man or woman. … For me, our execution tonight is really what surprised me. We just weren’t even close.”

The Rangers won the last meeting with the Flyers on Nov. 25, prevailing 3-2 win despite getting allowing 78 shot attempts in that game while generating 39.

The Flyers are hoping goals by Travis Konecny, his first in 23 games, and Sean Couturier, who missed five weeks and netted his first since Nov. 17, will help boost the club’s secondary scoring.

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New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Devils 2

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils pick up their Hudson River rivalry Sunday night at Madison Square Garden, meeting for the first time since Feb. 23.

These Metropolitan Division foes are headed in opposite directions.

The first-place Rangers won two straight, three of four and already have 19 victories and 39 points through the first 29 games this season.

The Devils, on the other hand, are struggling mightily in all facets of their game the past few weeks. After a surprising 9-3-3 start, New Jersey won three times since Nov. 17, posting a 3-6-3 record. The Devils are in the bottom three in the division with 30 points.

Facing a rival like the Rangers just might be the tonic New Jersey needs at this point to cure some of its ills. It has almost always been the case that the Rangers bring out the best in the Devils, who won three of four games against New York a year ago.

“When you play the Rangers, obviously with the rivalry, it’s always a motivational game,” Devils coach John Hynes said. “We’re going through a tough time right now, but we’ll look to be a better team against the Rangers (Sunday).”

New Jersey struggles on the road, posting a 4-8-4 record away from the Prudential Center. Sunday’s contest is the start of a four-game road trip for the Devils, and part of a stretch in which they play six of nine on the road.

In their most recent road outing, the Devils allowed a season-high 49 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. They followed that up on Friday with their first regulation home-ice defeat this season, 4-1 at the hands of the St. Louis Blues.

“We have to acknowledge why we haven’t played well and make sure we turn this around as quick as possible,” said veteran Devils forward Michael Cammalleri, who appeared in his 800th NHL contest on Friday.

While the Devils lost their last two games, the Rangers earned back to back road victories, 2-1 over the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday and 1-0 in overtime over the Chicago Blackhawks 24 hours later.

Backup goaltender Antti Raanta started both those games and earned his fifth career shutout Friday in Chicago against his former team. Raanta has been terrific for New York this season, winning seven of his eight starts while posting a 1.83 goals-against average and .939 save percentage in 10 appearances.

However, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault did not commit to a third consecutive start for Raanta on Sunday, nor did he reveal if Henrik Lundqvist would return between the pipes. Lundqvist’s play has been inconsistent as his 2.55 goals-against average and .912 save percentage attest.

“In this league, the way things are now, every team needs two goaltenders to have success,” Vigneault told reporters Friday night. “We’re very fortunate that we have two goaltenders that can do a good job for us.”

The Rangers will again play without three injured forwards Sunday. Mika Zibanejad is out with a fractured fibula, while rookie Pavel Buchnevich has a back problem and Rick Nash suffered a groin strain earlier in the week.

Missing so many important players means the Rangers need others to step up, and that is a key to the Rangers’ success. The latest examples came in the last two games when the struggling Kevin Hayes, who has one point in his last seven games, scored the game-winning goal late in the third period against Winnipeg and defenseman Nick Holden netted the overtime winner the next night in Chicago.

“I like the fact that everybody’s been contributing,” captain Ryan McDonagh said. “For us, it’s about being gutsy, too, competing hard for pucks, and coming out with the two points. And we’ve been doing that pretty consistently all year.”

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New York Rangers vs Winnipeg Jets
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 8, 2016
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba

TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
PREDICTION: Jets 3, Rangers 2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — If there ever was a David versus Goliath matchup in the NHL, the New York Rangers versus the Winnipeg Jets is it.

Hockey’s largest population base versus its smallest, a team with more than 90 years of history versus one with just five (in its most recent incarnation), a squad with four Stanley Cup victories and a perennial contender versus one with not only zero championships but not a single playoff game win.

Heck, the original Jets history goes back to the days of the World Hockey Association when the Rangers outbid virtually every other NHL team to sign Swedish superstars Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson away in 1978.

So, yeah, you could say the Jets are polishing up their slingshots in advance of facing the blue shirts Thursday night at 7 p.m. (CST) at the MTS Centre. This is the second and final meeting between the two squads. The Rangers defeated the Jets 5-2 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 6.

The Jets have been relying heavily this season on super rookie Patrik Laine, who not only leads all first-year players with 17 goals, but is tied with some guy named Sidney Crosby atop the NHL goal-scoring parade. The Winnipeggers will need some help from some slumping players to take the pressure off the 18-year-old, including his linemate, Nikolaj Ehlers. The 20-year-old notched 15 goals and 38 points last year but has only managed four goals and 19 assists while playing primarily on the top line this season.

He is currently mired in a 14-game goal drought but he’s not losing any sleep over it.

“I’m still scoring points, we’re winning games — it’s not a big deal for me,” Ehlers told the Winnipeg Sun. “So I’m not too worried. But I wouldn’t mind that one goes in soon.”

He’s not getting much sympathy from Laine.

“He can’t score in Playstation, either,” he said.

Presumably, Henrik Lundqvist is between the pipes whenever the two youngsters play the video game version of the Rangers but that won’t be the case on Thursday as backup Antti Raanta will get the start.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said he believes Lundqvist, who hasn’t cracked the top 10 in goals against average, save percentage, win and shutouts this season, has another level.

“He’s our top player, you know. He’s been doing it for quite a few years. I would tell you that you look at any team right now that’s winning and they are getting consistent Grade A goaltending. We’re no different than anybody else. We need consistent Grade A goaltending,” he told the New York Post.

Both teams will be without key cogs in their wheels. The Jets hope to welcome center Mark Scheifele back after missing three games with a lower-body injury but they’ll still be without defenseman Tyler Myers (lower body) and forwards Nic Petan, Shawn Matthias and Joel Armia, all out with lower-body injuries, too.

The most notable absence in the Rangers lineup is center Rick Nash, who is out with a groin injury. Others who won’t be suiting up include forwards Pavel Buchnevich (back spasms), Matt Puempel (concussion) and Mika Zibanejad (broken leg).

If the game turns into a battle of specialty teams, the ice will definitely tilt in favor of the New Yorkers. The Jets’ power play is 21st in the league, operating at 15.5 percent, a significant drop from the Rangers, who are currently in ninth position and 21 percent. The Rangers kill off 84 percent of all the penalties they take, good for 10th in the NHL, far ahead of the Jets, who emerge unscathed from 80 percent of their short-handed situations, or 24th best.

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Tampa Bay at NY Rangers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, May 29, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Lightning 1
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 151-moneyline favorites versus the Lightning, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

New York was a 7-3 winner in its last match on the road against the Lightning. They won as +120 underdogs, while the total score of 10 made winners of OVER bettors.

Tampa Bay did manage to win Games 6 and 7 in its first-round matchup with Detroit, but it needs to find a way to get the “Triplets” line of Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov going. Although Kucherov scored twice in Game 6 on a pair of assists by Johnson, the unit has produced six points in the last three contests after dominating the first half of the series by combining for eight goals and eight assists in the first three games. A flu bug that had been affecting the Lightning seems to have subsided, but they need a better outing from Ben Bishop, who allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in Game 6 and eventually was pulled after surrendering five tallies for the third time in four starts.

Team record: 61-32-8
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Tampa Bay’s last 16 games on the road
Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing NY Rangers

Brassard had scored just one goal in his previous eight games before notching his first career hat trick and becoming the third player in franchise history to collect five points in a playoff contest. Rick Nash, a 42-goal scorer during the regular season who drew a ton of criticism after tallying only twice in the first 15 games of the postseason, has come alive with three goals and four assists over the last three contests. Still, the fortunes of the Presidents’ Trophy winners likely will hinge on the performance of Lundqvist, who set the tempo in Game 6 with 15 first-period saves and has been victorious in his last six Game 7s while posting a .973 save percentage and microscopic 0.81 goals-against average.

Team record: 64-28-8
NY Rangers is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games
NY Rangers is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games at home

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Tampa Bay at NY Rangers
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 24, 2015
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Lightning 2
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 140-moneyline favorites versus the Lightning, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

The Rangers were a 5-1 winner in their most recent outing on the road against the Lightning. That made winners of bettors who got New York at +120 on the moneyline, while the total score (6) was good news for OVER bettors.

While the buzz after Game 3 centered around Lundqvist’s shaky play, there suddenly are questions surrounding Tampa Bay counterpart Ben Bishop after he surrendered five goals for the second consecutive outing. While Cooper dismissed questions regarding a switch of netminders, calling it “asinine,” there are legitimate concerns over the Lightning’s penalty-killing unit after allowing two power-play goals for the third straight game. “The penalty kill needs to be better,” said Bishop, who lost for only the second time in 12 career starts against the Rangers. “It starts with me. Six goals in three games is unacceptable.”

Team record: 60-31-8
Tampa Bay is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games
Tampa Bay is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Tampa Bay’s last 15 games on the road

While Lundqvist stole the headlines, an equally important development for New York was the revival of Rick Nash, who notched a career-high 42 goals in the regular season but had tallied only twice in the playoffs before doubling the total on Friday. “It’s just natural to grip your stick a little bit tighter and to not see the ice as well when you’re struggling,” Nash said. “The puck doesn’t feel comfortable on your stick, so any time you can get a goal and get a little confidence, it helps.” Former Lightning captain Martin St. Louis also broke through with his first tally of the postseason, ending an 18-game drought.

Team record: 63-27-8
NY Rangers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 6 games
NY Rangers is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Rangers’s last 7 games at home

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NY Rangers at Washington
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, May 10, 2015
Where: Verizon Center, Washington, District Of Columbia
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVA
PREDICTION: Rangers 3, Capitals 1
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 105-moneyline favorites versus the Capitals, while the game’s total is sitting at 4½.

Washington was a 2-1 loser in its last match on the road against the Rangers. They lost as +147 underdogs, while the total score of 3 made winners of UNDER bettors.

While leading scorer Rick Nash has gone eight games without a goal, Kreider added to his burgeoning postseason legacy of coming through in the clutch by netting the tying tally with 1:41 remaining in regulation Friday. It was the second goal of the series and 14th career playoff tally for Kreider dating to his NHL debut in Game 3 of a first-round series against the Ottawa Senators in 2012. “We’ve been needing some people to step up and score big, timely goals, and it’s been tough to come by, for sure,” said forward Derek Stepan, who notched the primary assist on Kreider’s blistering one-timer. “But we’re still in this thing and it was a big moment there for (Kreider) to give us a chance in overtime.”

Team record: 59-26-7
NY Rangers is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of NY Rangers’s last 8 games
NY Rangers is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 5 games on the road

Superstar Alex Ovechkin appeared poised to dominate the series after scoring in each of the first two games, including a highlight-reel tally and nine hits in Game 2, but he has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last three contests. “Next one will be the big one,” the captain said. “Nobody said it was going to be easy. Of course, you want to close the series when you get the lead. It’s over. You have to forget about it and move forward.” Washington has mustered only eight goals in the five games and its power play, ranked No. 1 in the league during the regular season, has had only eight chances against New York – with the lone conversion coming in the series opener.

Team record: 52-29-13
Washington is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington’s last 7 games
Washington is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Washington’s last 5 games when playing NY Rangers

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When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, October 27, 2014
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), MSG (New York)
PREDICTION: Rangers 4, Wild 1
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Oddsmakers currently have the Rangers listed as 118-moneyline favorites versus the Wild, while the game’s total is sitting at 5.

Carl Hagelin scored his second goal in three games on Saturday and also tallied in New York’s 4-1 victory over Minnesota on Dec. 22. Captain Ryan McDonagh hasn’t found the scoresheet in all but one game this season – a two-assist performance versus New Jersey on Tuesday – but has notched four assists in as many career meetings with Minnesota. Henrik Lundqvist is 3-3-0 versus the Wild, although Cam Talbot stopped 48-of-51 shots to split both contests last season.

New York lost its last outing, a 3-1 result against the Canadiens on October 25. Bettors who backed the Canadiens at -134 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (4) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.

Team record: 4-4-0
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of NY Rangers’s last 7 games at home
NY Rangers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Minnesota
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers’s last 6 games when playing at home against Minnesota

While Minnesota lit up the scoreboard in its last game, it continues to struggle on the power play. The Wild are 0-for-20 with the man advantage, joining Buffalo (0-for-30) as the only clubs in the league yet to tally on the power play. Minnesota can hang its hat on its penalty kill, which has thwarted all but one of 19 chances this season and faces a New York team that is just 2-for-22 with the man advantage.

In their last action, Minnesota was a 7-2 winner at home against the Lightning. Bettors on Minnesota at -167 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (9) sent OVER bettors home happy as well.

Team record: 4-2-0
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Minnesota’s last 8 games
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games on the road

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“I’m not talking about anything ahead of Game 5,” the Pittsburgh captain said when asked about a potential Eastern Conference final against the Boston Bruins.

But after the Penguins’ 7-3 victory Wednesday night, it’s hard to imagine Crosby and his teammates aren’t starting to think about facing the Bruins, who are up 3-0 over the New York Rangers.

Jarome Iginla and James Neal each scored twice, Crosby, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis added goals, and Tomas Vokoun made 30 saves. Down 2-1 after the first period, the Penguins scored twice in a 40-second span early in the second and added four goals in the first 10 minutes of the third.

Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Ottawa. Senators goalie Craig Anderson was benched after Pittsburgh’s sixth goal, and Robin Lehner finished the game.

“There was a sense like, ‘OK, this might take as many shots as we can muster to break this guy.’ And fortunately, we kept on that mindset,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “It was a matter of, ‘We are going to have to fire anything and everything we can at this guy to get one by him.'”

Game 5 is Friday night in Pittsburgh.

“I know what we’re going to do,” Alfredsson said. “We’re going to go out and play one hell of a game. That doesn’t worry me at all. We never quit and that’s not going to stop now. We know the odds are against us in every way, but we never quit and that’s going to continue.”

But Alfredsson also conceded that the Senators faced long odds of rallying against the top-seeded Penguins.

“Probably not,” Alfredsson said, according to NHL.com. “[Pittsburgh’s] depth and our play right now … it doesn’t look too good.

“When you look at what we did, it wasn’t good enough. Does that mean [Pittsburgh] was good? Did we make them good? Who really cares? From our point of view, we didn’t manage the puck [well], we didn’t execute our passes, and subsequently, we got punished in the neutral zone. We turned way too many pucks over and gave them some freebies. It would have been nice to have the lead for a little bit longer, but now we’re back on our heels again. We didn’t shut them down when it matters.”

The 40-year-old captain was seen retrieving the puck at the end of the game, NHL.com reported, but Alfredsson insisted that the puck was a memento for his family and not a sign that he was considering retirement at season’s end.

Senators coach Paul MacLean didn’t take a single question after the game. Instead, he held up the scoresheet and said: “I think everything’s right here. It’s 7-3. See you in Pittsburgh. We’re going to Pittsburgh and we’re coming to play. Have a good night.”

The Senators, coming off a double-overtime victory Sunday night in Game 3, opened the scoring on Michalek’s short-handed goal at 2:29 of the first period. With defenseman Sergei Gonchar in the penalty box, Alfredsson fed the puck up the middle to a streaking Michalek, who broke through the defense and beat Vokoun low on the glove side for Ottawa’s second short-handed goal of the series.

It was the Senators’ first lead of the series. It wouldn’t last.

Neal tied it with 5:04 left in the period, picking up the loose puck in the slot and putting it in the back of the net. Turris put Ottawa back in front off a rebound with 3:45 left in the first.

Pittsburgh tied it early in the second when Kunitz got behind the defense and went in alone to beat Anderson. Less than a minute later, Anderson gave up a rebound on Kris Letang’s shot that landed on the tape of Iginla’s stick to make it 3-2.

Neal started the third-period flurry with a power-play goal at 1:59. Dupuis added a short-handed goal at 8:07, Crosby followed at 8:39, and Iginla scored on a power play at 9:53.

Alfredsson finished the scoring with a late power-play goal for his 100th career playoff point.

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Boston’s leading goal scorer during the regular season scored his first of the postseason with 4:20 left in the first overtime and the Bruins beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night in the first playoff game in 40 years between the Original Six teams.

“It’s always frustrating” not to score, Marchand said, “but there’s so many other areas of the game. It’s always nice to get the first one and you hope you just keep going.”

The win was Boston’s third straight in overtime, and New York’s third straight loss in extra time.

“I thought it was pretty even going into the overtime,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “But we got spanked in the overtime.”

Both teams advanced with Game 7 victories Monday night. The Rangers beat the Washington Capitals 5-0 behind Henrik Lundqvist’s second consecutive shutout. The Bruins overcame a three-goal deficit with 11 minutes left in regulation and beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 on Patrice Bergeron’s goal in overtime.

“I really thought our guys turned the page on that historical game,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said.

Marchand scored on a pass from Bergeron. Marchand had carried the puck up the right side, passed it to Bergeron and kept going toward the net. Bergeron passed across the slot and Marchand tipped it past Lundqvist from the left side of the crease.

“I told Marchand when we were pretty close to each other on the wall to go backdoor,” Bergeron said. “It was good to see him score because I thought he had some pretty good looks tonight.”

Boston outshot New York 16-5 in overtime.

“I kind of knew he was coming in the middle, but I was just too locked in on the puck,” Lundqvist said. “Sooner or later when you face a lot of chances like that, you’re going to make a mistake.”

The Bruins carried the play throughout overtime. They applied constant pressure, but couldn’t score during a power play when Derek Dorsett was penalized for interference at 2:20 of overtime.

Boston nearly won in regulation, but Johnny Boychuk’s shot from the right point clanged off the left post with one-tenth of a second remaining. Then he hit the left post at the other end of the ice at 6:34 of overtime.

Zdeno Chara gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 12:23 of the second before Ryan McDonagh tied it with 1.3 seconds left in the period. Derek Stepan put the Rangers ahead 2-1 just 14 seconds into the third period, and Torey Krug tied it on a power play with his first NHL goal in four career games.

“For his first goal, he couldn’t have asked for better timing,” Julien said.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals is Sunday night in Boston.

On Thursday, the Bruins played without three injured veteran defensemen: Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Wade Redden. Three rookies started on defense: Dougie Hamilton, Matt Bartkowski and Krug, who was called up from Providence of the AHL after Seidenberg was hurt early in the first period Monday night.

The Bruins ended Lundqvist’s shutout streak at 152 minutes, 23 seconds when he gave up a Chara’s soft goal. Lundqvist appeared to have a good view of the 50-foot slap shot from just in front of the middle of the blue line and got a piece of the puck, but it trickled by him.

That lead nearly held up through the second period. But when Boychuk passed it from in front of his net to Tyler Seguin in the right circle, Rick Nash hit Sequin’s stick and the puck went to McDonagh at the left point.

McDonagh’s rising slap shot soared over the right arm of goalie Tuukka Rask. Stepan then made it 2-1 on a 30-foot shot from the slot through Rask’s legs, two goals in 15.3 seconds.

Krug tied the game with teammate David Krejci in front of the net trying to screen Lundqvist. The shot from just inside the top of the left circle went under Lundqvist’s left arm.

Then Marchand beat Lundqvist to win in the extra session.

“It was a tough overtime period for us. They came hard,” Lundqvist said. “My record is terrible in overtime, but I’ve just got to stick with it, play my game and hopefully it’ll turn around.”

Game notes

Stepan’s goal was the sixth against the Bruins in the first two minutes of a period in their eight playoff games. … The teams last met in the playoffs in 1973 when the Rangers won the first-round series in five games. The previous year, they faced each other in the Stanley Cup finals, and the Bruins won in six. … Both teams’ leading goal scorers in the regular season had no goals in eight playoff games heading in. New York’s Nash stretched that unwanted string to nine, but Marchand’s goal won the game. . … Boston’s Jaromir Jagr, a former Ranger, is the only player on either team who had been born the last time the teams met in the playoffs on April 10, 1973.

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The NHL is increasing its popular outdoor games, which in the past had been limited to on or around New Year’s Day. There likely will be six next season.

Toronto and Detroit will meet at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Jan 1, the Anaheim Ducks will play the Los Angeles Kings at Dodger Stadium on Jan. 5 and the Chicago Blackhawks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field on March 1.

The games at Yankee Stadium were announced Wednesday. A game between Ottawa and Vancouver at BC Place on March 2 also is being planned.

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